6319 replies to this topic

[Matt R.]

Tender out seems like a good idea as long as it avoids the same fare as the normal restaurant. It might be tight though time wise for full service restaurants. Sushi could work.

Yes, you would need a small menu and be ready to pre-make a bunch of items as well. 90 minutes isn’t nearly enough time in reality.

[Matt R.]

If BC Ferries is serious about dumping its money losers, maybe it needs to look at some of its less-than-profitable routes. 

Yes, send them back to MOTH like we have with the interior ferries. Public transportation isn’t really about turning a profit.

[Victoria Watcher]

Time for this style:

 

[Victoria Watcher]

Yes, send them back to MOTH like we have with the interior ferries. Public transportation isn’t really about turning a profit.

 

Ya, because the government runs everything so well.  

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 June 2023 - 08:20 PM.

[Matt R.]

The Kootenay lake ferries do great, but I think a contractor runs those.

[Victoria Watcher]

The Kootenay lake ferries do great, but I think a contractor runs those.

 

 

The new ferry is under construction at a dry dock on Kootenay Lake in Nelson.

 

https://www.crestonv...elayed-to-2024/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I guess if your ferry runs on a lake you have to build it right there.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 06 June 2023 - 09:28 PM.

[Matt R.]

Absolutely love the east shore, great that they are getting a new boat, but I’ll always love the Osprey.

[Victoria Watcher]

BC Ferries has announced it wants to upgrade five major terminals and has submitted a ‘Major Terminal Efficiency’ (MTE) application to the BC Ferries Commissioner for approval.

 

The upgrades would completely overhaul the current ferry terminal experience by automating as many check-in processes as possible, such as:

 

• Introducing license plate recognition devices that would streamline vehicle check-ins;
• Weigh-in-motion devices that can quickly measure the size of vehicles, eliminating the current manual process of measuring;
• Create new ticketing kiosks for foot passengers, and eliminate the need to ‘check-in’ for those that have reserved in advance.

 

These are just a few of the proposed suggestions that the company says will make for a more “frictionless” trip for future travellers.

BC Ferries says there are multiple reasons why the upgrades are necessary, such as a return to pre-pandemic levels of travellers and many systems that, in their current state, are outdated and pose a high risk of failure.

 

____________________

 

The five major terminals that will fall under the MTE project are:

• Duke Point
• Tsawwassen
• Horseshoe Bay
• Departure Bay
• Swartz Bay

 

 

https://www.cheknews...sioner-1155459/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 07 June 2023 - 04:57 PM.

[Nparker]

Will these changes reduce the "friction" of frequently cancelled sailings?

[aastra]

 

Will these changes reduce the "friction" of frequently cancelled sailings?

 

You're saying cancelled sailings rub you the wrong way?

 

Gotta love the following:

 

 

...there are multiple reasons why the upgrades are necessary, such as a return to pre-pandemic levels of travellers and many systems that, in their current state, are outdated and pose a high risk of failure.

 

Remember the way things used to work before? Well, those ways don't work anymore. Because.

[Victoria Watcher]

Capital Daily:

 

 

 

 

BC Ferries’ fiscal 2023 year, which ended March 31, tallied 21.6M passengers (up 21% from fiscal 2022) and 9.4M vehicles (up 11%). The latter is a new record for the highest volume since BC Ferries began in 1960. Its report partly attributes these jumps to the removal of prior years’ COVID-driven travel restrictions.

 

But the overall vehicle total exceeds even pre-pandemic years (2019 had 8.9M cars), and the passenger total is close (22.3M in 2019). At the same time, though, costs also jumped 14% in 2023, to nearly a billion dollars, which BC Ferries attributes to higher labour and fuel costs, and maintenance. Its future plans involve cutting and delaying capital spending and pursuing fare increases.

 

The ferry corporation is also seeking approval for $25M in improvements to Swartz Bay and four other terminals that would create a faster, subway-style check-in process with fare gates.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 June 2023 - 06:14 AM.

[Mike K.]

COVID changed everything. People recreate very differently than before, and the Island has been “discovered.”

And when friends or family move here, they will be visited by whoever can make the trip, everyone wants to see the Island. When you move to Saskatchewan, people wait for you, to visit them.

[Victoria Watcher]

It would be interesting to see a breakdown of users, where they are from.

 

Certainly tourism is up, but you would also think the larger the Island becomes, population-wise, the more things (goods and services) we can just get here without leaving the Island.  Ditto now that you can online order anything you want, no need to go to that specialty shop in Vancouver.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 10 June 2023 - 06:23 AM.

[lanforod]

I’m wondering about the new terminal plans. Do we really need faster check in processes? Doesn’t it just mean you end up in the waiting area (for cars or people) faster? What’s the benefit?

[Victoria Watcher]

I’m wondering about the new terminal plans. Do we really need faster check in processes? Doesn’t it just mean you end up in the waiting area (for cars or people) faster? What’s the benefit?

 

If you can eliminate 40 terminal positions that's a significant labour savings. 

[lanforod]

Simple math calc tells me that 25m can cover those 40 positions indefinitely with basic investment.

[max.bravo]

Not at all. Let’s break it down.

Say a Bc Ferries worker is making $26hr. You have to include their benefits and pension etc so the true labour cost is about 33% higher than the simple hourly salary. So let’s say $26 x 1.33 = $34.58/hr labour cost.

A full time worker does about 1900 hours in a year. So 1900 x $34.58 = $65,702.

$65,702 for one employee annually x 40 employees = labour cost of $2.6M in one year.

It only takes about 9.5 years to reach $25M in labour costs for 40 employees at $26/hr wage.

I’d say that reducing the workforce is a good investment over the long term.

[Matt R.]

COVID changed everything. People recreate very differently than before, and the Island has been “discovered.”

And when friends or family move here, they will be visited by whoever can make the trip, everyone wants to see the Island. When you move to Saskatchewan, people wait for you, to visit them.

I see this every day out the back door (and front door) at work. So many more “local” tourists, and not just on weekends or the usual holidays. The shoulder seasons had been getting shorter and shorter pre Covid, but starting last spring the slow season barely exists anymore.

Thanks truckers!

[Nparker]

...I’d say that reducing the workforce is a good investment over the long term.

Imagine how much money could be saved if no one had a job.

[Matt R.]

Not at all. Let’s break it down.

Say a Bc Ferries worker is making $26hr. You have to include their benefits and pension etc so the true labour cost is about 33% higher than the simple hourly salary. So let’s say $26 x 1.33 = $34.58/hr labour cost.

A full time worker does about 1900 hours in a year. So 1900 x $34.58 = $65,702.

$65,702 for one employee annually x 40 employees = labour cost of $2.6M in one year.

It only takes about 9.5 years to reach $25M in labour costs for 40 employees at $26/hr wage.

I’d say that reducing the workforce is a good investment over the long term.

Everyone else is learning how to do this. It’s about time bc ferries figured it out.

We recently booked online for the long harbour —> tsa run. They emailed a bar code with the confirmation. The booth attendant simply scanned the code and waved us forward. No reason why a machine can’t do this alone. I wonder if this person then went onto the boat as crew?